WESTWOOD—More than 470 people lined the red carpet to catch the premiere of “No Ordinary Hero: The SuperDeafy Movie,” a film based on the internationally renowned character who holds an importance place in the deaf community worldwide.

Hilari Scarl, Modela Kurzet and TL Forsberg

“No Ordinary Hero” premiered on August 24 at the Crest Theater in Westwood, the first location of a currently planned three locations worldwide. Attendees were given so-called “swag bags,” which contained a SuperDeafy doll. The stars of the film were also at hand to mingle in a charity event for the DeafNation Foundation, culminating in an inclusive after-party at the
HammerMuseum. “No Ordinary Hero” is also set for screenings in
Oslo,
Norway (September 4-5) and
Lyons,
France (September 7).

The story centers on Tony Kane, a deaf actor portraying a superhero on television. His personal ambitions and hopes for himself and his heroic alter-ego prove to be elusive, and the actor yearns to reach those dreams that appear to be distant. His life, however, drastically changes upon his encounter with eight-year-old Jacob Lang, a deaf student torn between his parents' respective considerations of what constitutes as normal and the hard time he is experiencing at school. These two protagonists meet and inspire each other to enact their beliefs as well as push farther in achieving their goals. Soon enough, romance lingers in the air for Tony when the titular protagonist meets Jacob's teacher, Jenny.

Photo courtesy of DeafNation

“No Ordinary Hero” stars John Maucere as SuperDeafy (the actor has portrayed the character for the past 15 years), Michelle Nunes as Jenny, and cinema newcomer Zane Hencker as Jacob. Also included in the film's cast are Marlee Matlin, Shoshannah Stern, Barbara Eve Harris, and Ashley Fiolek.

According to the film's website, SuperDeafy is a beloved character and role model with a worldwide following. His merchandise prowess extended to numerous marketable items before the character even appeared in his first feature installment. The film, furthermore, is the first SAG commercial feature in
United States cinematic history produced solely by deaf executive producers and directed by a deaf director. “No Ordinary Hero” also employs open captions (the captions are a permanent fixture of the film) in English for every screening, making it wholly accessible.

In an interview with DeafNation, Maucere spoke on the importance of SuperDeafy to the deaf community. “Hearing people have Superman as their superhero," the actor said. "What about deaf people? That is why SuperDeafy was created so the deaf world can have their very own deaf superhero who can sign.”